Twenty-one innovative San Diego companies will compete at 32nd annual awards
SAN DIEGO, CA (October 8, 2019) – Connect w/ San Diego Venture Group (SDVG) announced today the technology and life sciences finalists for the 32nd annual Most Innovative New Product Awards (MIP). The winning companies will be announced at the Innovation Awards, an event held annually, honoring the titans of innovation along with groundbreaking new products.
“We are very excited to be celebrating cutting edge entrepreneurship in San Diego through the Most Innovative New Product Awards,” said Mike Krenn, CEO of Connect w/ SDVG. “Our mission is to promote and support innovative companies in San Diego, and our finalists this year are leading the way in technology and life sciences.”
The submissions for this year’s MIP Awards were evaluated by a series of industry experts, with 21 products across seven categories being selected as finalists.
Listed below, in their respective categories and alphabetized by company name, are the 2019 MIP Award finalists:
Big Data Category
GigaIO: FabreX from GigaIO is a fundamentally new network architecture for data center systems that integrates computing, storage and memory into a single-system fabric throughout the rack or cluster, using industry standard PCI Express technology.
MemComputing: The MemCPU SaaS product from MemComputing solves today’s most complex optimization problems in a fraction of the time required by best in class solutions. Problems that take hours or days today are solved in minutes or seconds by MemComputing.
Suavei: Suavei has developed and deployed the only self-calibrating threat management solution available for wirelessly connected devices or, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices. Suavei’s solution enables businesses to rapidly find, assess, and fix security vulnerabilities in critical network infrastructure connected over wireless and wireline networks. Suavei’s tool is fully automated, highly scalable, and 100% SaaS.
Cleantech Category
Aquacycl: The BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT) from Aquacycl is the only plug-and-play technology for decentralized wastewater treatment that produces electricity (no methane), eliminates sludge, and enables water reuse with minimal operating expense.
GroGuru: GroGuru enables a permanent installation model for soil sensors using breakthrough Wireless Underground System (WUGS) technology, which dramatically reduces total cost of ownership, improves scalability, and gives farmers year-round data that is critical for strategic irrigation management.
Uprise Energy: Uprise Energy has developed the world’s first commercially sized mobile wind turbine. The Uprise Energy Mobile Power Station is a 10kW portable wind turbine that delivers low cost, clean energy, when and where it is needed.
Defense Category
CP Technologies: The MTP is the first portable computing system like it in the world. CP Technologies’ new MTP rugged portable trifold computers are module, high performance computers designed for use in challenging real-world military, industrial and commercial applications. No other portable computer can handle high stress environments with as much processing power and portability as the MTP.
CUBIC: Cubic’s Secure Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) Advanced Training Environment (SLATE) is a system of systems that adds simulated aircraft and threats to the live aircraft and threats in US fighter displays (F-15, F-35, etc.) to increase the enemy density during training missions – impossible to do before SLATE.
Innoflight: KI-103 from Innoflight is a satellite encryption/decryption unit that allows for U.S. Government data to be securely communicated from a satellite to the ground station, and vice versa. Innoflight’s KI-103 product is the first unit in its class to be developed by a small business—and certified by the NSA—for the purpose of secure space-to-ground communications.
Life Sciences & Healthtech Category
Cardea Bio: The Genome Sensor is the world’s first DNA Search Engine that can find genetic mutations in as little as fifteen minutes.
Leo Lens Technology: Leo Lens Technology (LLT) is focused on using its platform printing technology to commercialize a drug-eluting, comfort-enhancing contact lens to treat millions of patients worldwide. The idea is simple – use a contact lens to deliver drugs topically to patients instead of eye drops.
LunaPBC: LunaDNA from LunaPBC works directly with individuals for private, transparent, and fair health data sharing, fixing historical limitations of poor representation, fragmented information, and imbalance in value.
Medical Device Category
IRRAS: IRRAflow is a breakthrough medical device that can change how the most severe stroke patients are treated. IRRAflow from IRRAS combines brain pressure measurement and necessary fluid drainage that reduces swelling with automated irrigation that enhances drainage of deadly collected blood.
NeuraLace Medical: NeuraLace Medical is a medical device company whose bold mission is to disrupt the chronic pain epidemic. Axon Therapy from NeuraLace Medical is the first non-invasive, non-opioid, robotically assisted, clinically demonstrated application of magnetic therapy for chronic peripheral neuropathic pain, that provides immediate and sustained pain relief for patients.
NuVasive: NuVasive’s LessRay® is a hospital operating room (OR) smart imaging platform that’s shown to reduce radiation exposure by >75% and enhance OR workflow. The platform integrates with traditional, mobile C-arm imaging systems used to obtain X-ray (fluoroscopic) images during surgery while reducing the amount of radiation emission associated with taking low-dose fluoroscopic images.
Smart City & Transportation Category
CUBIC: The Monolithic D-Band Antenna for Ultra High Bandwidth Data Transmission (D-Band) antenna from CUBIC enables wireless, ultra-high data rate networks in urban environments.
Platform Science: Developed alongside drivers, fleet managers and back office staff, Platform Science is an enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) open platform for fleet management. It connects the vehicles, devices and apps that make transportation smart by leveraging today’s most innovative technology.
Airspace Technologies: Airspace Technologies builds an industry-first, automated solution through with their proprietary software application. The platform is the only technology that provides stakeholders automatic quoting, routing, and real-time notifications. The platform is built on an ecosystem of applications to keep all stakeholders up to date.
Software Category
GoSite: GoSite’s platform provides a variety of software solutions to small businesses. The tools are designed to help a small businesses market themselves, manage their business, and ultimately get paid by their customers.
Seismic: Seismic HomePage is a situationally aware homepage that spotlights relevant information for each individual seller and recommends next steps based on what is likely to help them engage their unique set of buyers.
Yembo: Yembo is building artificial intelligence technology that streamlines the shopping process for the 40M Americans who relocate each year. Yembo’s computer vision technology transforms the stressful, time consuming, and fragmented relocation experience into an interactive process that takes only a few minutes.
To be eligible for the 2019 Most Innovative New Product Awards, the product must have been first introduced after January 1, 2017, never been selected as a MIP finalist, and generated revenue from sales.
The winners will be announced at the Innovation Awards dinner on the evening of December 5, where the finalists will also have the opportunity to showcase their products to event attendees. That same evening, David Hale will be inducted into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, honoring his contributions to San Diego. This year’s event is led by three co-chairs, members of the Connect w/ SDVG board of directors: Carin Canale, Magda Marquet, and Rick Valencia.
“I am thrilled to be co-chairing the 2019 Innovation Awards,” said co-chair and previous Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductee, Magda Marquet. “Honoring the individuals and companies that make San Diego such a vibrant and innovative entrepreneurial community, that’s unique in the world.”
The Innovation Awards dinner will be held at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, 3777 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92122.